Crossing Paths
by Fwirl
Summary: Lily just can't decide whether she wants to fight in gym battles or in Pokemon contests. But as she continues on her journey-blah blah crap. Don't read this. It's ridiculously bad. I just don't want to take it down. Unfinished, nor will it ever be.
1. Chapter 1

**This will be the first time I've written a Pokèmon fic, but Shadow and I decided we'd both do one for this contest on a forum. We have to use these terms somewhere in the story:**

_Was (s)he going crazy or... _

_Flaming apple _

_Do you know the definition of... _

_What are you getting at?_

_Tempest _

_What is that?!__ (Exclamation point optional) _

_Soccer ball _

**Try to see if you can find 'em. ;P**

* * *

"I'm leaving!" Lily called over her shoulder into her nearly empty apartment. Her voice echoed softly in the front room, followed soon after by her loud sigh. Her brother could at least see her off; this was going to be her last day here in Jubilife, after all. "I'm leaving!" she repeated more loudly.

"I heard you the first time," was the grumbled response that came from the couch. Lily's brother, Dylan, heaved himself into a sitting position. His black hair was in a tangled mess, reminding Lily of some kind of bird's nest. He sent a glare her way before asking, "What do you want?"

"Today's my last day here in this town, and you aren't even going to say goodbye?" Lily huffed, crossing her arms.

"You're just going to the store down the street," Dylan whined.

"I'm going to the store for the last time while living here," Lily pointed out. "Do you know the definition of _caring_?" However, she knew the answer before he even said it.

"What are you getting at?" he asked, lying back down on the couch. "If there's nothing else, then let me get back to my nap."

Lily sighed in exasperation again, and turned to leave. "I'll be back in time for dinner!" she called over her shoulder, then closed the door behind her without waiting for his reply.

A strong wind suddenly blew Lily's short, dark red hair into her face, whipping it into her crystal blue eyes. She pulled it out of her face and practically jumped down the stairs of her apartment to start running down the street to the nearby store. Dark clouds were starting to gather overhead, promising a storm.

Light rain was already beginning to fall as Lily opened the door to the small store. Shelves lined the walls of the store and filled the center of the room, large signs hanging above each aisle to show where items were and whether there were any sales going on.

"Oh, hey Lily!" the clerk called from behind the counter. He was tall, with dark hair and light green eyes that sparkled in the dim store light; he was one of Lily's oldest friends.

"Good morning Cole," Lily greeted cheerfully, stopping by the counter to talk to him.

"I heard you're leaving tomorrow to travel Sinnoh," Cole commented wistfully.

"You want to come?" Lily teased, leaning her elbows against the counter.

"You know I have to watch the store for my parents while they're away," Cole sighed regretfully.

"I'm sure you'll be able to leave when they get back," Lily assured him, grabbing a shopping basket off a pile at her feet. "For now I have to get ready for my trip, so I'll be in the back if you need me." She waved over her shoulder to him as she walked down the space between the aisles, looking down each row. Soccer balls, tennis balls, basketballs…Lily stopped and looked down the aisle, a sudden idea coming to her.

She went to the very end of the row and picked out five red rubber balls and put them in the basket, grinning to herself. She continued down the aisle, but stopped when she saw something shine out of the corner of her eye. What is that? she wondered, going over to get a better look at it.

It was a case for contest ribbons, right next to a case for gym badges. Lily bit her lip as she examined them, because after all, she should get one. The thing was, she didn't really know whether she wanted to compete in contests or gym battles. They both sounded like a lot of fun, and a lot of work, too, but more and more lately Lily had been considerably undecided.

Sighing, Lily went to find the other things she needed to buy, deciding to come back later when she was sure she knew what she wanted to do. An hour later, she was back at the front counter, watching as Cole rang up everything that had been on her list to buy, except, of course, a case.

"Here," Cole said, handing four bags to Lily, who then took them from him. "Good luck on your travels."

"Thanks, Cole," Lily replied, smiling happily as she left the store. The rain had stopped falling a little while ago, but the sky was still overcast with dark clouds. She took her time walking home, contemplating the decision she had to make. Contests showed off the beauty and cuteness of Pokèmon and required thinking one step ahead to make your battle look the best it could. However, gym battles required tactical moves, combinations, and strength more than anything else. Both ideas appealed to her, and she just couldn't decide which to do.

"I'm home!" Lily called as she stepped into her apartment. She closed the door behind her and slipped her shoes off into the cubby near the doorway before walking into the kitchen that was separated from the living room by only a counter. A tempest of delicious smells hit her nose as she stood in front of the counter, Dylan on the other side, cooking.

"What's for dinner?" Lily asked, setting down her bags on the counter and starting to put away some of the food that was in them.

"Spaghetti," her brother answered, stirring a steaming pot on the stove. "Did you get parmesan cheese?"

"I did," Lily answered proudly, showing him said container of cheese. "Do you want me to put it in the frig?"

"Nah, keep it out; we'll be eating soon," Dylan replied, turning back to his pot. When Lily had put away all of the groceries, she threw away the three empty bags and headed to her bedroom. It was a plain room, but Lily loved it all the same. She had a bulletin board full of newspaper clippings about battles and trainers from which she had collected over the years hanging above her desk. A Pokèdex sat atop her desk, right next to a few empty Pokèballs and a flashlight, all of which sat upon a map decorated and marked in red pen.

Lily pulled a dark red backpack out of the last shopping bag and carefully packed the Pokèdex, Pokèballs, flashlight, map, and remaining items she had bought earlier in it. Then she went to her closet and added a few pairs of clothes, her favorite sleeping bag, a journal, and two pens to the backpack, along with all of her money. When she took out the five rubber balls from the shopping bag, she put them in her back pocket.

Just as Lily finished packing, Dylan called for her to come to the kitchen for dinner. "My last dinner while living here," Lily commented as she took her seat at the table in the living room, her brother seated across from her.

"Yeah," Dylan agreed, starting to eat already.

"How was work at the Pokèmon Center?" Lily asked conversationally, twisting the spaghetti noodles around her fork.

"It was really good," Dylan answered, perking up at the mention of his work. Lily smiled at his happiness; her brother loved helping Pokèmon with his colleagues at the Pokèmon Center nearby, and probably always would. "Someone with an injured Abra came in today, but it was okay in the end."

"Well, that's good," Lily replied. "Anything new?"

"Not really," Dylan said, shrugging.

They ate in silence for a little while, then Lily spoke up. "Hey, are you going to miss me?"

"Of course," Dylan answered, his tone surprised. "Who else will go do the shopping and cleaning around here?"

"Oh, ha ha, very funny," Lily replied dryly. "I'm serious, though; you haven't been saying much today."

"There hasn't been much to say," Dylan retorted. "Do you want me to cry and hug you?"

Lily wrinkled her nose, getting his point. "That would just be weird," she admitted, setting her fork down on her empty plate.

"Oh, that's right, I have a present for you," Dylan suddenly said, standing up and leaving the room. He came back a few minutes later, carefully holding a clear, cylinder case with a brown and white striped egg sitting on a cushion inside of it. He set it down in front of Lily, watching as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"What is this?" she asked, gently touching the side of the cylinder. Was she going crazy or was her brother actually _giving_ this to her?

"It's a Pokèmon egg, obviously," Dylan answered, rolling his eyes, but he was smiling at her surprise. "If you don't want it, I could always take it back…"

"No way!" Lily cried, hugging the cylinder. "This is so great! Thank you, Dylan!"

"Well, it's settled then," Dylan declared. "You are fourteen now; it's about time you had your first Pokèmon egg to look after."

"Thank you, Dylan," Lily repeated, and let go of the egg's case to embrace her brother in a tight hug.

"Hey, hey, there's no need for that," Dylan protested. Since he was three years older than Lily, he was much taller and stronger, and could've easily removed her from him. However, he waited until Lily was done before he returned to his seat. "Anyways…have you decided what you're going to do yet?"

Lily immediately knew what he meant. She bit her lip as she glanced at the egg. "I think I'm going to ask my Pokèmon," she finally answered, standing up. "I'll be back soon." She gently picked up the case with her Pokèmon egg in it and left the apartment, hearing her brother call to be careful from behind her.

Outside, it was still cloudy as Lily unchained her bike from its usual post at the bike rack and set her Pokèmon egg in the basket that sat between her two handlebars. Kicking off the ground, she rode quickly through the relatively empty streets and sidewalks until she left Jubilife and entered the forest to the north of it. She didn't slow down her speed until she reached a small clearing about twenty feet across, hemmed in by tall trees and flowering undergrowth.

Lily carefully set her bike against a tree and once more picked up her Pokèmon egg, then went to stand on the edge of the clearing. Holding the egg's case in one hand, she rummaged in her back pocket with the other until she brought out a small Pokèball. Grinning, she pressed the small button on the Pokèball and threw it in the air as it grew into the size of her fist.

"Come on out, Vulpix!" Lily called proudly, watching as a laser beam of red light shot out of the Pokèball and formed an indefinite shape that became her faithful partner and teammate, Vulpix.

"Vuuulpix!" Vulpix greeted enthusiastically, standing up and turning to face Lily, shaking herself in the process and causing her tails shake softly like a leaf on the breeze. The Pokèmon cocked her head curiously towards the egg held in Lily's hand.

"This was a gift from Dylan," Lily explained. "The Pokèmon that hatches will be your new teammate, so help us out, okay?" Vulpix nodded and gave a small sort of bark.

"Okay Vulpix, I had an awesome idea when I was in the store earlier," Lily started again. "It's going to improve your aim and speed with Flamethrower, or at least, that's what I'm hoping. Willing to try it?" Vulpix gave another bark of assent, a signal for Lily to go on. She reached back into her pocket and drew out the five rubber balls, having to set down the Pokèmon egg case to hold all of them. "It's simple, really. I'm going to throw all five balls at once, and you have to hit all of them with your Flamethrower before they hit the ground. They'll be going in different directions though, so it'll be harder to get them all. Oh, and Vulpix? Try not to set the forest on fire."

Vulpix growled, as if offended that Lily would even think of such a thing. Grinning, Lily waited until her friend had turned around before asking, "Ready?" and receiving a small breath of impatient flame in return. Lily held the balls up, two in her left hand and three in her right, and launched them high into the air. "Now, Vulpix, Flamethrower!"

Vulpix looked up at the rapidly descending balls and blew a flaming spiral of fire at the first one, wasting no time in moving on to the second and third, but missing the fourth, and coming too late for the fifth. Lily couldn't help but think the falling balls that Vulpix had hit looked vaguely like flaming apples as they landed on the grass.

"Nice work, Vulpix!" Lily congratulated. "That was great for a first try."

"Vulpix, Vuul," Vulpix replied, her tone disappointed.

Lily kicked the sizzling balls, recoiling at the heat. However, the balls looked mostly intact, not counting the many burn marks on the three that had been hit with the attack. Lily had felt so exhilarated as she watched Vulpix attack, even if it was only rubber balls that were getting hit. She could just imagine how much damage that attack would cause in a battle, and it was so beautiful, too.

Lily sighed. Thinking about training had brought her back to the decision she had to make. She sat down on the ground with a sigh and looked to where Vulpix was also sitting, licking her paw and wiping it over her ear. "What do you think, Vulpix?" she asked. "You have as much a say in this as me. Gym battles or contests?"

Vulpix gave Lily a look that clearly read that she wouldn't decide for her. "Guess it's up to me, huh?" Lily muttered to no one in particular, and laid on her back in the grass, staring up at the ever darkening sky. Think, Lily, she told herself. It's now or never; which do you want?

Screwing her eyes shut, Lily tried to imagine herself in a gym battle. The ardent thrill of Pokèmon battling was more than alluring to her, and she loved to make strategies that would overwhelm her opponent. As for contests, the beauty of Pokèmon was clearly displayed by moves, and also by battles. But could she really see herself doing that? Sure, it was fun to watch contests, but would she actually enjoy being in one? The ribbons, move combinations, and fancy dresses…

Lily nearly burst out laughing at the thought. She couldn't imagine herself wearing a dress even if her life depended on it. The more she thought about it, the more she started leaning towards gym battles over contests. Glancing at the Pokèmon egg her brother had given her, she started to wonder what her new Pokèmon would want to participate in.

Shaking her head, Lily stood up and started collecting the fallen rubber balls, which had become moderately cooler. "Come on, Vulpix, we should probably get going," Lily called to her Pokèmon. She had already placed the Pokèmon egg back in its position in the front basket of the bike and was waiting for Vulpix.

Vulpix bounded over and gracefully leaped into the basket next to the Pokèmon egg's case, settling down as Lily pedaled back into Jubilife. The wind whipped her hair back behind her, making her feel almost as if she was flying. She rode past her house and down to the store she had been in earlier.

After chaining her bike to the rack, Lily walked into the store with her Pokèmon egg cradled in her arms and Vulpix walking at her feet. Cole wasn't behind the front counter, but from the sounds coming from the back room, Lily could guess where he was. She slipped towards the back of the store and went to the aisle she had been on earlier that day.

The cases for gym badges and contest ribbons were in the same exact place they had been in that afternoon, and Lily guessed no one had even touched them since she had last seen them. Taking a deep breath, she shot out her hand and picked up a shining black case that held gym badges.

"Okay, no going back now," Lily murmured, to Vulpix as much as herself.

* * *

**Gah, sorry it took so long to get this up! I've actually been working on it for quite awhile, but I only now finished it. T-T**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Please review. C:**


	2. Chapter 2

**The new chapter is here~! Not that anyone but Shadow and Dreamer read it, but still. ^.^**

**The deadline for the chapters was shortened from two weeks to one because of Shadow's insistence, so expect some more updates faster! The words for this week aaare: **

_Bananas _

_What is this craziness?_

_Wolf's rain _

_Lizard_

_Abacus _

_Beach _

**That's all for now, so onto the story!**

* * *

As Lily stood in front of her apartment early the next morning, gray clouds still covered the sky. Dylan was standing there awkwardly as she hugged him tightly, thanking him for the Pokèmon egg again and saying how she'd be sure to keep in contact with him.

"Yeah, okay," he told her, pushing her back a little. "Just be careful; especially in this weather."

"It's like Dad used to say, right?" Lily grinned. "It's a fierce wolf's rain!"

Dylan shook his head, almost in exasperation. "He always used to say that when it stormed really hard like this. Always muttering something about that old legend from…where was it again?"

"Full Moon Island," Lily answered promptly. "He was always saying how much he loved the beach there…" Lily trailed off, lost in thought about how their mother and father had passed away two years ago in an accident.

Dylan shook his head again, as if to clear it this time. "That's right, the legend from Full Moon Island. How a wolf-like Pokèmon caused a storm that lasted for a week and made an island disappear, or something." Glancing at the skies, Dylan said, "You should get going before it rains again."

"Bye, Dylan," Lily said, kicking up the kick stand on her bike and sitting on it. "I'll miss you!" He waved to her as she pushed her feet off the pavement, starting to pedal down the street that led out of town and towards Oreburgh. _That's where my first gym battle will be_, Lily thought, gripping the handlebars more tightly.

Buildings flashed by as Lily made her way through Jubilife, down the familiar streets lined with shops and homes. Her friends greeted her and wished her luck as she passed by, waving with one hand while their other was cupped around their mouth to make themself heard.

When the last red-bricked building was behind her, Lily felt a weight press down on her chest. She'd miss everyone, especially Dylan and his stories about what was going on down at the Pokèmon center. However, the feeling lasted for only a second before she felt light with the feeling of freedom and excitement.

Lily and Dylan's parents had never wanted her to travel when she turned ten and got her first Pokèmon, so she had listened to them and stayed home, only going out of the city every once in awhile after they moved to Sinnoh. After her parents had died, she hadn't wanted to leave Dylan alone and had tried to help him around the house. But a month ago, Dylan had told her she could leave if that's what she had wanted, and after a lot of consideration, she had decided to travel.

Shifting the backpack on her shoulders to a more comfortable position, Lily glanced around at her surroundings. Trees grew on either side of the path she traveled on, tall grass reaching up around them. There wasn't much undergrowth except for some flowers strewn around in the grass, some blooming, others still buds.

Breathing in the deep woodland scent, Lily continued to bike towards Oreburgh, vaguely wondering what the city was like.

It was getting into late afternoon when Lily finally reached Oreburgh. She had stopped once for a quick lunch with her Pokèmon, then had continued on, hoping to find a place to stay before it got too dark. The skies had remained obscured by dark, ominous clouds for the entire day and showed no sign of clearing. In fact, a light shower of water was already raining down, getting progressively harder, making pools of mud by the side of the road.

Reaching back, Lily pulled the hood of her gray sweatshirt over her head in an attempt to keep herself partially dry, wondering how she was ever supposed to find her way around in this town. There were no maps, no signs, and certainly no people to point her in any direction.

Oreburgh looked like a very…rocky town. Most of the buildings looked more like large sheds, the walls made from a silver material and the roof a slanted, bright orange-red color. A large building, very different from the others in the way it was built, loomed up on the other side of town that Lily guessed was the gym, and another building, only about half the gym's size, was behind it.

Lily turned a sharp corner to her right, trying to find a place she could stay dry until she got her bearings, when she ran straight into someone. She flew forward off her bike with a yelp of surprise and landed on the hard cement of the sidewalk. She heard her bike clatter to the ground behind her and the surprised yell of the person she had probably hit.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lily instantly apologized, starting to stand up. She felt like a bruised banana, but was determined not to show rudeness or weakness to whoever she had just hit by pointing that out. "I was in a hurry, and I didn't think anyone would be out right now."

"Oh, it's no problem," replied the person behind her; presumably the one she had run over. Lily could tell it was a guy by the tone of his voice before she even turned to look at him. He had shocking light brown hair that was plastered to his forehead because of the rain and bright green eyes that stuck out, even in the downpour. He was tall and strong-looking, but of course, that didn't necessarily mean he _was _strong, Lily thought.

"My name's Adrian," the boy introduced, righting Lily's bike and holding it steady for her to take.

"Thanks," Lily responded, taking the handlebars of the bike. "I'm Lily; and I'm also lost." She gave a sort of laugh and Adrian smiled.

"You're not from around here, I take it?" he asked.

"No, I'm from Jubilife," Lily admitted. "This is my first time coming here. If you could give me some directions or tell me where the Pokèmon Center is, I'd be really grateful."

"Oh, I was just headed to the Pokèmon Center myself," Adrian told her. "I could take you there if you'd like."

Lily felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Really? Thanks!"

Adrian laughed. "No problem," he repeated. "Come on, we better hurry and get out of this rain." He started walking quickly the way he had been before, and, Lily noticed with a twinge of dismay, the opposite direction she had been about to head. I would've never found the Pokèmon Center without Adrian's help, Lily thought sadly, racing to catch up with him as she guided her bike next to her.

The rain had started to fall harder, soaking Lily's clothes to her body until she felt like she would never get dry. Her backpack bounced perpetually against her back as she walked as fast as she could while trying to steer her bike and avoid walking into ankle-deep puddles. She was gasping, tired from her first day's journey and sick of all of this rain.

Adrian turned onto another street and Lily felt herself sigh as she saw the unmistakable building of a Pokèmon Center in front of them. The orange structure stood out from all others, at least two stories high, a large white P adorning the top of the building. The front had only a few windows, and in the center were two sliding glass doors that led to the inside.

"There's a rack over there if you want to drop your bike off," Adrian pointed out helpfully.

"Thanks," Lily replied, holding in her exhaustion. Just a little longer, she thought. Then I can rest and decide what to do from there.

Adrian followed her as she went to chain her bike to the rack, then led her inside the bright building of a Pokèmon Center. It was warmer inside then outside, but the floor was slick with water and mud that was tracked in from the outside. Behind the front counter sat Nurse Joy, looking over a list of some sort. An old-looking abacus sat on the counter in front of her, but Lily had no idea what its purpose was there.

As Adrian and Lily stepped forward, the nurse looked up and smiled at them. "Welcome back Aidan," she greeted. "Are you new here?" she asked, turning to Lily. She nodded. "We can heal your Pokèmon if you like, and we also offer free lodging for travelers."

"Would it be okay if I stayed here for a few nights then?" Lily asked, feeling uncomfortable for some reason. It felt so odd, so out of place, to be here.

"We have some spare rooms upstairs," Nurse Joy told her, pulling a drawer out from the counter. Rows of perfectly organized keys were lined up, a blue tag on each one. She pulled one out that had a tag with the number 27 on it and handed it to Lily. "It's the second room on the left after you go up the stairs."

"Thank you," Lily said gratefully, taking the key in her right hand.

"There are battlefields set up behind the Pokèmon Center if you want to train later," Nurse Joy went on. "Feel free to come down to the kitchen when you get hungry; it's near the back. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," Lily repeated.

"Your name?" Nurse Joy prompted.

"Oh, right, sorry!" Lily apologized, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Adrian was still standing there, and she could almost feel him smirk behind her back. "My name is Lily Faye." Taking off her backpack, she dug around in it for a moment before pulling out her Pokèdex and showing it to Nurse Joy. She glanced at it, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Please enjoy your stay here," Nurse Joy called after Lily as she slung her backpack on after being given her Pokèdex back and headed towards the stairs on the right side of the room. Adrian stayed behind and talked with the nurse, but Lily couldn't make out what they were saying, and at this moment, she didn't really care.

Climbing the stairs seemed like an effort after her long day, but Lily kept thinking about the soft, warm bed that was waiting for her in her room. Following Nurse Joy's directions, she found her assigned room and unlocked the door, pushing it open with just the slightest creak.

The room was furnished with a single bed, a desk, a window on the opposite wall of the door, and a bathroom on the right. Lily carefully took off her muddy shoes and socks and set them on the floor of the bathroom, not wanting to get the cushiony carpet dirty. She set her soaking bag next to her shoes and pulled out her Pokèmon egg, examining it for damage from when she had fallen from her bike earlier. Luckily, it had escaped the ordeal unharmed, its case suffering minor scratches.

Lily went to the shower and started the water, making it as warm as possible without it being scalding hot. Peeling her wet clothes off of her, she stepped into the shower and just stood there for a moment, letting the water drain away her exhaustion and worry.

Half an hour later, Lily was lying on her bed, dressed in a new, dry white sweatshirt and jean shorts. She had her journal opened before her, ready for her to write the day's events in it. She scribbled quickly, but in a neat hand; she had been writing since she was a kid at her mother's insistence.

A knock sounded on Lily's door, and she started, her pencil jerking down across the page. What is this craziness? Lily wondered, using one of her mother's favorite phrases. She didn't know anyone in Oreburgh except for…oh. Right.

Lily sprang towards the door before the person on the other side could knock again. She opened it to see just who she had expected: Adrian. It looked like he had taken a shower too, because he now wore new clothes and smelled faintly of shampoo. "Hey," Lily greeted. "Thanks again for earlier."

"It was no problem," Adrian shrugged off. "Anyways, it stopped raining."

"Yeah, I'd sort of noticed when rain stopped splattering against my window," Lily replied sarcastically.

"Do you want to battle?" Adrian asked suddenly.

Lily looked at him in surprise. "What?" she asked.

"Do you want to battle?" Adrian repeated. "It would be good practice, and I've been looking for a trainer. I don't know any of the other trainers staying here, so I thought I'd ask you."

Much as she didn't want to have to do anything like battle right now, Lily couldn't refuse his invitation. After all, he had helped her out big time earlier; the least she could do was train with him. Plus, the temptation of battling another trainer was sorely tempting; she couldn't remember the last time she had faced someone new.

"Okay, I'm in," Lily agreed after only a second of hesitation. "I have my team with me, so lead the way." Adrian grinned and walked down the hall, down the stairs, outside and around the Pokèmon Center to the deserted battlefields. The clouds were still hovering threateningly overhead, and Lily wondered how long it would take for them to finally clear.

Adrian took the side opposite from her, his eyes gleaming with thinly veiled anticipation. "What are the rules?" Lily called across the field to him.

"Does three-on-three sound good to you?" Adrian yelled back.

"Sounds just fine," Lily replied. She had her hand in her sweatshirt pocket, fingering her Pokèballs. Which Pokèmon should she use first? Before she could even decide, Adrian had thrown a Pokèball into the air. A red beam flashed out towards the ground and a Vaporeon was suddenly standing before Lily.

She looked over at Adrian in confusion, wondering why he hadn't waited for her so that they could call out their Pokèmon at the same time. "As the challenger, I should be the one to call out my Pokèmon first," Adrian answered to her unasked question.

"Your death wish," Lily replied, clasping a Pokèball in her hand and pulling it out. "Okay, come on out!" She threw the Pokèball into the air, a red flash materializing into a Shinx. Its star tipped tail twitched slightly as the Pokèmon faced Vaporeon.

"How cute," she heard Adrian say, a slight sneer in his voice. "Do you participate in contests?"

"I fight in gym battles," Lily retorted, suddenly glad that that was the path she had decided to take. She felt almost embarrassed that she had ever even considered being a coordinator now that she was battling Adrian. "I came to Oreburgh for first gym battle."

"Then let's get started," Adrian announced, confident despite the disadvantage for a Water-type against an Electric-type. "Vaporeon, use Water Gun on Shinx!"

The sky blue Pokèmon darted back and forth in front of Lily's Shinx, trying to find an opening. When it finally skidded to a halt on Shinx's right and opened its mouth to emit a spray of water, Lily decided it was time to move. "Shinx, dodge it at the last minute and then use Thunder!"

Shinx nodded his head quickly, the sign that he had heard Lily. Shinx side-stepped the jet of water easily, the results of long practice, and seemed to sparkle as electricity gathered in his fur. "Vaporeon, dodge!" Adrian ordered.

Vaporeon started to zigzag away from Shinx, trying to confuse him. Shinx tried to follow his opponent's movements, but to no avail. "Wait for it, Shinx," Lily told her Pokèmon, watching the Vaporeon as well. "Now!"

Shinx let out a meow of assent and released all of the electricity he had been gathering onto the Vaporeon. It let out a wail as it was struck, but stood its ground as Shinx's attack dissipated. Its tail twitched like that of a lizard's as it took a step forward and let out a defiant hiss.

"Ugh," Lily muttered. She had been hoping to knock out her opponent in one blow, but of course battles were never that easy or fast. The attack had landed a solid hit on Vaporeon, and it showed, but it was still able to fight.

"Good job, Vaporeon," Adrian congratulated his Pokèmon, seemingly unfazed. "Quick attack!"

"Vaporeooon!" the Vaporeon called, then moved towards Shinx with no recognizable pattern, so fast, that it seemed to disappear at some points.

"Shinx, dodge," Lily commanded, but her Pokèmon was too slow. Vaporeon barreled into Shinx's side with enough force to send him flying in the air before landing a few feet away on the ground in a lump of fur.

"Hurry, tackle," Adrian shouted.

Shinx stood up on shaky legs as the Vaporeon raced towards him, but Lily did nothing, waiting for the perfect moment. When the Vaporeon was practically on top of Shinx, Lily yelled, "Shinx, Thunder!"

The response was immediate; a bolt of lightning shot out from Shinx and hit Vaporeon with perfect aim. The Vaporeon yelped in surprise and seemed to try and grip the ground. "Keep it going, Shinx!"

"Hold on, Vaporeon!" Adrian called from the other side of the battlefield. As Shinx's attack receded into nothing, Vaporeon wobbled for a moment, but still stood. Then it tried to take a step forward, and collapsed, its eyes closed as it let out a small squeak of tiredness.

"Yeah!" Lily cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "That was awesome, Shinx!" Shinx yowled in victory as Adrian brought out a Pokèball and called Vaporeon back. It looked like he said something to it before placing it back in his pocket and drawing out another.

Adrian had his arm pulled back, poised to throw his second Pokèball, when a sudden ringing suddenly went off. He looked down at his left wrist in surprise, at a watch that seemed to be the source of the noise. Pressing a button on the side, he stopped the alarm from going off and put his drawn Pokèball back in his pocket with the others.

"Sorry, I have to get going," Adrian called over to Lily reluctantly. "There's somewhere I need to be."

"Oh, okay," Lily replied, a resonance of disappointment in her voice.

"Don't worry, we'll finish this later," Adrian promised, grinning. "Thanks for battling with me."

"Same to you," Lily said. She watched as Adrian nearly ran off the field, throwing a hasty wave to her over his shoulder, until he was gone. "Come on back, Shinx." Holding out her Pokèball, Shinx disappeared in a beam of red light into the small ball. Humming as she made her way back to her room, Lily felt the thrill of battle still ringing through her veins.

When she opened the door to room 27, something seemed off. The curtains were still drawn back from the window to allow for a view of the battlefields in the back. The blankets on the bed were ruffled from where she had been lying before Adrian had come, and a wet towel that Lily had used earlier was just visible on the counter in the bathroom.

Then Lily realized what it was. The Pokèmon egg that she had taken out earlier to inspect for damage was still in its case, but it was _shaking_. A glow seemed to pulse through it, like a small heartbeat. Lily froze with her hand on the doorknob for a moment before she scrambled towards the Pokèmon egg's case.

Carefully taking the egg out of the container, Lily set it down on the bed and watched in amazement. She had seen Pokèmon eggs hatch before at the Pokèmon Center in Jubilife, but knowing that this egg was her own, her very first, made it even more thrilling.

Suddenly, the light stopped blinking in and out and grew brighter, forcing Lily to squint her eyes to see it clearly. After a flash of blinding light in which she had to close her eyes completely, Lily looked in astonishment at the Pokèmon that now sat on her bed. It was an Eevee.

Its fur was brown, but instead of the medium brown like that of most Eevees' coats, it was a light, almost pale, brown. It had large black eyes that seemed so innocent as the Eevee sat there and gazed up at Lily, mewing slightly. For a moment, Lily could only sit on the bed next to it and stare. Then she broke out in a wide grin and reached out to pet the Eevee, which purred under her touch.

_Suzaku_. Lily had always loved that name since she was kid, and a sudden idea came to her. "Hey little guy," Lily murmured to the Eevee, scratching it between the ears. "How would you like a name?" The Pokèmon looked up at her with its large, black eyes, and Lily had to resist the urge to hug it tightly because it was so cute. "It's settled then. From now on, your name will be Suzaku. Welcome to the team."

* * *

**Yeah, I used 'em all! The words/phrases were particularly hard this week, but somehow, I managed to fit them all in. XD**

**For those of you who have watched Code Geass, I must say that I loved Suzaku; the character as well as the name. I couldn't resist using it. **

**Please review~!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I know the story isn't very exciting yet, but it will be!...I hope. I'm trying, anyways. :P**

**Here are the week's words, chosen by Shadow and myself:**

_Burnt popcorn _

_Flaming hail_

_Who do you think you are?_

_Cheesecake_

_Did I interrupt something?_

_Head tilt _

**Hmm…we seem to like questions and things that are flaming a lot. XD**

* * *

The days passed slowly for Lily in Oreburgh. She missed everyone back in Jubilife, but she found it wasn't hard to keep her mind off of them as she trained with her Pokèmon. Suzaku was getting on well with the rest of the team, Lily was pleased to notice. She had been testing out his abilities with the help of Vulpix, and she had been planning on asking Adrian for some help for a while, but she hadn't seen him since their battle.

It was a sunny weekday morning when she saw him again. As Lily was walking onto the battlefields behind the Pokèmon Center, contemplating whether or not her Pokèmon were ready for the gym battle yet, she saw him sitting on one of the benches, his hands behind his head as he stared distantly at the sky.

"Hey, where have you been?" Lily said for greeting, changing direction and walking over to him. "You haven't been around the Pokèmon Center lately, and I've been meaning to ask you to another battle."

Adrian slowly turned to look at her, then smiled. "I got my gym badge the other day," he told her. Lily was surprised by the change of topic, and also a little envious of his achievement, but tried not to show it.

"Congratulations," she replied. "When'd you get it?"

"The day I battled you," Adrian answered. "When I left, it was because it was time for my gym battle."

"That explains why you haven't been around, I guess," Lily mused, letting her head tilt ever so slightly to the side like she usually did when she was thinking about something. "Once you've gotten your badge in one town, it's time to move onto the next one, right? But then why'd you come back here?"

"I told you our battle wasn't finished," Adrian explained, getting to his feet. "I was sort of hoping you'd still be around." He grinned crookedly at Lily and gestured towards the fields. "You ready?"

"Actually, I was thinking of going to the gym for my gym battle," Lily told him. "I don't really know what you do, though. You just walk in and say you'd like a battle with the gym leader?"

"Pretty much," Adrian answered with a shrug. "The gym leader here is Roark. He was out when I first came for my battle, so I made an appointment to come another day."

Lily sighed. "I want to battle, but I still don't know if I'm ready."

"How long have you been a trainer?" Adrian asked.

"Since I was ten, like everyone else," Lily answered.

"Then you should do fine if you've been battling for four years," Adrian replied simply.

"I haven't been battling seriously for four years," Lily muttered.

"Is there a way you can battle without being serious?" Adrian asked, a laugh in his voice.

"You seem to manage it pretty well," Lily retorted.

Adrian shrugged again. "Maybe," was all he said in response. After a considerable pause, he said, "Are you going to go down to the gym now?"

"I guess so," Lily answered. "I've been going around town while I've been here, so I know my way around now."

"Would you mind if I came and watched?" Adrian asked.

"Why?" Lily replied, surprised.

"A good trainer has not only been in many battles, but has seen many as well," Adrian answered, sounding as if he was quoting a textbook. "At least, that's what my dad always used to say; that, and reality tv shows were as contradictory as flaming hail."

Lily shook her head, a smile pulling at her lips. "My dad always used to say that burnt popcorn was a bad omen to whoever ate it," she said, much to Adrian's amusement for he started laughing.

"Why would he say that?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Lily replied.

"Tell you what, if you win, I'll treat you to cheesecake," Adrian promised.

"I'll hold you to that, you know," Lily told him. "Let's go, before it gets too late."

Another ten minutes of walking later, and Lily stood with Adrian just outside of the Oreburgh Gym. It was a large building, soaring high above and seeming to try and reach the sky, painted with the fading colors of navy blue, gray, and brown. A pair of double glass doors was set right in the center of the building.

Lily felt a little nauseous just at the sight of the large building she now stood before. What kind of gym leader was Roark? She'd heard about him on tv a few times, but never knew anyone who had ever met him.

"Nervous?" Adrian teased.

"Of course not," Lily replied, sounding more confident than she felt. _Come on_, she told herself. _You're ready for this! You've been a trainer for four years, there's no way you couldn't _not_ be ready for this. _With a renewed fighting spirit, Lily led the way up the stairs and pushed through the glass doors.

The first room was like an office, a counter pressed against the back wall with two doors on either side of it. The man behind the counter wore a crisp black suit, and looked up as they entered. "My name is Lily, and I'm here for a match with the gym leader," Lily declared before he could ask.

The man seemed amused, and waved a hand towards the door on his left, indicating that she should go through it. "Good luck," he said mildly. Lily nodded to him and walked through the door, glad she hadn't been turned away as soon as she walked into the gym.

Lily looked around as she entered the room where the gym battles took place. A large battle field scattered with rocks varying from pebbles to boulders dominated the center of the floor, a place on either side for the trainers to stand. Benches were also lined against two walls for others to sit and watch the battles.

"Now what?" Lily asked when she realized that the room was empty except for her and Adrian.

"Now we wait," Adrian replied simply, taking a seat on one of the benches. "Roark should be here soon or else you would've had to make an appointment."

"Okay," Lily replied, taking a seat next to him.

"Do you know which Pokèmon you'll be using?" Adrian asked.

"Like I'd tell you," Lily responded jokingly.

"Oh, that's right," Adrian suddenly said, seeming to ignore her comment. He rummaged in his pockets and brought out a rather crumpled piece of paper, a flyer Lily noticed on closer inspection.

Lily read it aloud: "All Trainers of the Sinnoh area! The Golden Star Conference is coming soon to Hearthome City! The contest will be divided into separate age groups for the younger first-timers. The winners will receive the prestigious Golden Star badge and win an all-expenses-paid trip to Full Moon Island! Sign-ups will begin at the end of the month. Get set, Trainers!" When she was done reading, she looked questioningly at Adrian, who shrugged.

"I'd thought you'd be interested in it," he explained.

"Are you going to participate?" Lily asked, looking over the flyer again.

"I am," Adrian answered proudly. "And I do intend to win."

"Not if I do decide to enter," Lily told him thoughtfully. "Which I think I will. A free trip to Full Moon Island is way too good to pass up."

"Then I guess that's where we'll have our rematch," Adrian replied, a grin on his face. "Just make sure you last long enough that I can beat you."

"Who do you think you are? Of course I'll beat you and win the conference," Lily retorted, shoving him playfully just as the door opened. Lily stood up quickly as a man with red hair wearing gray mining clothes with a complimentary orange mining hat walked in. He looked over in their direction and smiled, waving.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, coming to stand before Lily. "You must be the challenger?"

"Yes; my name is Lily and I'm from Jubilife," Lily answered. "You're Roark, the gym leader?"

"Why yes I am," Roark replied with a laugh. "Oh, Adrian." Roark turned to Adrian, who was still sitting on the bench and watching the exchange with an amused smile. "What are you doing back here? I would've thought you'd left for the next gym already."

"I wanted to watch my friend at her first gym battle," Adrian told him.

"Then let's get started," Roark said, already starting to walk down to his end of the battlefield. Lily quickly hurried to her own spot, glancing back to see Adrian watching her. _I'm going to win this_, Lily thought, turning back to Roark. _I'll show him that I'm more than capable of beating him at the Golden Star Conference. Just wait and see, Adrian!_

"Come on out, Geodude!" Roark called, throwing a Pokèball into the air at the same time that Lily yelled "Let's go, Swampert!" and threw her own Pokèball. Two flashes of red light split the air, and then the two Pokèmon were out, facing each other.

"Geodude, use Rock Slide," Roark ordered. The Rock-Type Pokèmon immediately slammed itself into one of the larger rocks nearby, sending a spiderweb of cracks through it and causing it to break and shower out at Swampert.

"Swampert, dodge, then use Water Gun," Lily countered. Swampert nimbly leapt out of the rocks' path and shot a burst of water out at Geodude.

"Geodude, move and grab onto Swampert," Roark said. Geodude quickly spun out of the way of the attack and flew towards Swampert.

Lily waited until Geodude was nearly on top of Swampert before she called out, "Water Gun, again!" This close, there was no way for Geodude to dodge the torrent of water and was sent hurtling back against a boulder.

"Geodude, Dig!" Roark commanded as the Pokèmon lifted itself back up.

"Geooo," Geodude acknowledged in a grating voice, before digging down into the ground without giving time for Lily to do anything.

"Shoot," Lily muttered, looking around the field to see where Geodude would pop up from. Swampert looked around indecisively, matching his trainer's anxiousness.

"Now," Roark said.

"Swampert, dodge!" Lily called, but it was too late. Geodude exploded out of the ground to the left of Swampert and slammed into him, sending him flying, though he managed to land on his feet.

"Hammer Arm," Lily said. Swampert sped forward with his arm drawn, disappearing momentarily with his speed. A moment later, he was behind Geodude and had swung his fist around to land squarely in its back. Geodude hurtled forward, crashing through two boulders before coming to a stop.

"Geodude, return," Roark said when it was apparent that the Pokèmon had fainted.

"Yeah, one down, two to go!" Lily cheered.

"I wouldn't be quite so happy just yet," Roark told her, throwing out his next Pokèball. "Come on out, Onix!" With a roar, the giant Pokèmon was suddenly dominating the field, towering above even Swampert. "Iron tail!"

"Dodge," Lily yelled. Swampert leaped out of the way of the large tail just as it struck the ground where he had been standing only a moment before. "Take Down!"

Swampert jumped forward, but with a roar, the Onix moved aside and was only just barely hit. "Rock Throw," Roark called. Onix swept its tail back and struck a rock to send it flying towards Swampert. Before Swampert could dodge, it was hit square in the chest and sent flying back.

"Return," Lily said, holding out her Pokèball for her fallen Pokèmon to come back to. "You did great." She replaced the Pokèball with another and threw it into the air. "Come on out, Vulpix!" Vulpix stood in front of Lily, her six tails fanned out behind her. "Let's go, Dig; just the way we planned it!"

With a short mew in response, Vulpix dove under into the ground, sending rocks and dirt out behind her. Roark stood indecisively on the other side of the field. How's it feel to have your own move used against you? Lily thought. Only now, the way she used this move would be a little different.

With a burst, Vulpix jumped out of the exact same hole she had tunneled into. A rumbling sounded from the field, and the ground surrounding Onix fell away with a crash. "Good work Vulpix!" Lily congratulated her Pokèmon.

"I see," Roark said thoughtfully as he called Onix back. "You had your Vulpix dig a circle around my Onix to make the ground fall away from underneath it. Clever."

"Yeah," Lily replied. "Sorry I sort of destroyed the field, though."

"Not at all," Roark said, sending out his next Pokèmon. It was a Rampardos, almost as large as the Onix, but not quite.

"Okay Vulpix, Dig one more time!" Lily commanded. Vulpix dove under, but Lily knew they couldn't do what they had just now the way the field was.

"Rampardos, one o'clock!" Roark called. The giant Pokèmon instantly drove its front hand down into the field, reappearing a moment later with Vulpix held tightly in its grasp.

"Vulpix!" Lily cried.

"Throw it against the rocks," Roark ordered. The Rampardos tossed Vulpix against the boulders as easily as if she were a doll; she landed a few feet in front of Lily. She tried to rise, but fell almost instantly.

"Nice job," Lily told Vulpix, calling her back.

"Your last Pokèmon," Roark reminded her.

"Yeah," Lily replied, having already drawn out her Pokèball. "Let's go, Suzaku!" The pale brown Eevee that Lily summoned stood in front of her, his head held high. She heard a gasp of astonishment from Adrian as he stood up, but she didn't know why he would be so surprised; even Roark looked surprised.

"Double Team, followed by Tackle," Lily commanded, suddenly nervous; maybe she shouldn't have used her newly hatched Pokèmon so soon. Eevee shot forward, and suddenly, there were a dozen of him, all running around in a circle around Rampardos. He looked around, confused, before Eevee shot up from behind and tackled it. "Now use Shadow Ball!"

Eevee leapt away to a safe distance, his mouth open as dark light gathered in front of it. "Rampardos, Tackle!" Roark countered. With a roar, the giant Pokèmon charged straight at Eevee.

"Now!" Lily shouted. Eevee shot off the Shadow Ball straight at Rampardos, hitting it square in the chest. Rampardos stopped with another roar, this time of pain, before running forward again. "Suzaku, move!"

Eevee dodged out of its line of sight as Rampardos struck the towering boulder behind him, staggering back. "Rampardos, hang in there," Roark ordered. "Use Head Smash!"

Rampardos turned back around to face Eevee, lowering its blue-jeweled head and charging forward with a growl. "Eevee, dodge!" Lily said, but just as Eevee moved, Rampardos changed direction to follow him and hit him straight on. He went flying with a yowl of surprise, somehow managing to land on his paws.

"Keep it up Suzaku, we're almost there," Lily told her Pokèmon, knowing that the next hit would decide the victor. "Shadow Ball, again!"

"Rampardos, Zen Headbutt!" Roark called.

Both Pokèmon started gathering light to them, Rampardos a light blue and Eevee a dark purple, almost black. They set them off at almost the exact same time, the fiery balls of light and energy colliding harshly in the center of the field to send a screen of sand up.

Lily threw her arms up to cover her face, squinting through the dust and sand to see what was going on. "Tackle!" she yelled. Roark seemed to shout an order as well, but Lily couldn't hear it and the sand was still covering her line of sight. As the dirt settled down, Lily couldn't believe what she saw.

Eevee stood, shaking, but still standing, a few yards in front of her, Rampardos having fainted not much farther ahead. "We…we did it," Lily whispered in astonishment. Then, louder, "We did it!"

Roark called back Rampardos, watching with faint amusement as Eevee jumped into Lily's arms and they spun around in circles for a few moments. "Congratulations," he said when they finally stopped. He walked around the damaged battlefield to shake hands with Lily, Eevee at her feet.

"Thanks; it was a great battle," Lily replied breathlessly.

"Here is your badge," Roark said, pulling a shining thing no larger than a quarter out from his pocket and handing it to Lily. He glanced down at Eevee. "That's a beautiful Pokèmon you have there," he went on. "A shiny Eevee."

Lily jumped with surprise, nearly dropping her badge. "He's a shiny Pokèmon?" she asked, looking down at Eevee too. "I've heard about them before, but I've never actually seen one, and I certainly never thought little Suzaku was a shiny." Now she understood why Adrian had seemed so surprised when she brought Eevee out.

"Good luck on your journey," Roark told her, smiling.

"Thank you," Lily replied, nodding her head once and racing back to where Adrian was waiting. Her first badge; she had done it!

* * *

**Have I ever said how much I hate writing battle scenes? Not just for Pokèmon, but also for Warriors and any other action scenes. It's just so repetitive and hard to describe. Anyways, I got really random with the assigned words and phrases and whatnot, so please forgive me for that. :P**

**Also, some of you may be wondering why this was posted so late. It's because the deadline was postponed since it's Fourth of July weekend. On another note, two updates on my stories in one day! Woohoo! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it; please review~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Update ti~me! Gah, my computer broke down last Monday, and I don't know when or if it'll be fixed, so for now, I'm at my uncle's house and using his computer. So, onto the week's words:**

_Traffic cone _

_Lame_

_Silver ring_

_Pineapple _

_Bullseye _

_Dart _

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Lily eyed the small cheesecake store skeptically. She hadn't really thought Adrian would treat her if she had won; but hey, she wasn't going to object to free dessert. Adrian looked as if he had been here a million times as he pushed open the front door and waved dramatically for Lily to enter before him.

A worker in a pineapple yellow suit seated them at a table in the corner of the room, gave them menus, then left to go back to her post by the door. Lily looked through the menu, stopping to laugh at one of the pictures. It was a piece of cheesecake with orange ice cream piled onto it, closely resembling a traffic cone.

"They have some odd things here," Lily commented, still laughing softly.

Adrian shrugged, but he was smiling. "What are you ordering?" he asked, still flipping through his menu.

"I think I'll have the cheesecake drizzled with caramel and chocolate," Lily answered, folding her menu closed and putting it between the napkin holder and the wall. "You?"

"Strawberry cheesecake," Adrian replied, setting his menu next to hers. "Anyways, there are some things we need to talk about."

"Oh?" Lily asked. "Like what?"

"Well, maybe it's none of my business, but I'd like to know what you're going to do now," Adrian replied. "If you're going to that Conference in Hearthome or if you're going to go for your next badge."

"I'm going to the Conference of course!" Lily said. A waitress came and they repeated their orders before Lily could continue the conversation. Once she had left, Lily turned back to Adrian. "You're going to go there too, right?"

"Yeah," Adrian answered. "There are some things I have to do before I go to Hearthome, though."

"Like?" Lily prompted.

Adrian grinned. "I need to train my team some more; otherwise, we'll never last at the Conference," he said.

"You won a gym battle already, you shouldn't say stuff like that," Lily objected. "You and your team are good."

"How would you know? I've only battled you with Vaporeon," Adrian teased.

"Well, if you beat Roark, you must be good," Lily declared.

"Still, I need to get stronger to beat all of the trainers that will be gathering," Adrian stated, slowly shaking his head. The waitress came back, setting down their food before returning to the front counter.

Lily started to eat her cheesecake, contemplating Adrian's words. It was true that a lot of strong trainers would be gathering at the Conference, all of them surely having more experience than her. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to train a little and maybe try to catch some more Pokemon for her team. Lily looked up when she was done to see Adrian watching her.

"I'm going to get stronger too," Lily said slowly. "But I'm going to make my way to Hearthome so I can sign up, then train there as well as on the way. What are you going to do?"

"I'll head to the forest," Adrian replied. "There's a certain Pokemon I'd like to find."

"Well, good luck with that," Lily told him. "I'm guessing you wouldn't tell me which one it was if I asked."

"You would be correct," Adrian chuckled.

"Laaame," Lily whined. Adrian just shook his head.

"This will be the last time I see you until the Conference," Adrian told her. "I'm leaving after this, as I assume you are as well."

"Yeah," Lily replied. "I'll be making my way to Hearthome. I'll have to stop by the Pokemon Center first to get my stuff, though."

"Good luck until we meet again," Adrian said, grinning.

"You too," Lily replied, unable to keep a smile off her face.

---

Late that evening, Lily finally cleared the mountain path that separated Oreburgh from Hearthome. It had taken all afternoon to go through the tunnel that went right through the mountain, and it would've taken even longer if Lily hadn't had her bike. She hadn't seen any Pokemon, to her disappointment, but was still in high spirits and psyched for the upcoming Conference.

Getting off her bike, Lily looked around for a place to camp for the night since she still had a little ways to go before she actually reached Hearthome. The dirt trail was closed in by trees on both sides, casting odd, fading shadows over everything. Lily kept her eye out for any wild Pokemon, but it was as deserted as it had been back in the mountain tunnel.

Finally, Lily emerged in a small clearing, completely closed in by trees whose branches intertwined overhead, forming a leafy canopy. Undergrowth clotted the ground around the bases of the trees, forming a barrier around the clearing. Satisfied that she had found a good place, Lily shrugged off her backpack and pulled out three of her Pokeballs.

"Okay guys, time to set up camp," Lily said when she had released all of her Pokemon. "Vulpix, Swampert, Suzaku, I want you guys to collect firewood while I set up the tent and get dinner ready. Let's go, everyone!" There was a bark, mew, and growl of assent as the Pokemon moved to complete their task.

Lily shuffled through her bag and brought out the folded tent; it was one of the newer types that had the metal frame to hold its shape, so it wasn't hard to set up. She laid out her sleeping bag inside of the tent, then pulled out the supplies for dinner, the Pokemons' and her own.

By the time she had set out five bowls filled with Pokemon food, a large pile of branches and dried leaves had been formed a few feet in front of the tent, surrounded by a circle of stones so that the fire wouldn't accidentally spread. "Good work, guys," Lily congratulated, surveying the pile. "Okay Vulpix, you're up."

Vulpix gave a small bark and stepped forward, breathing lightly onto the pile of wood. A small wisp of flame came from her mouth and lit the firewood, spreading quickly until there was a full fire blazing.

Lily cheered, grabbing Vulpix up in a large hug before setting her back down. "Come on out, Shelgon, Shinx," Lily said, calling out her last two Pokemon. "Dinner's all ready; dig in!"

The Pokemon gave cries of happiness before darting over to the carefully labeled bowls and starting to eat. Lily sat down in front of the fire, pulling out a nutrigrain bar and beef jerky, feeling too lazy to cook anything.

A bush on the edge of the clearing rustled, bringing Lily to her feet and causing the other Pokemon to stop and listen. A large white paw emerged, follow by another until the Pokemon was fully out in the open. It was an Absol, Lily realized after a moment of confusion. She had seen pictures of them and heard about them, but had never seen one in real life.

"Swampert!" Lily called. Swampert looked up at her, then bounded in front of her, facing the Absol. The other Pokemon turned a cool gaze on Swampert and Lily and flicked its tail.

"Absol, can I have a battle with you?" Lily asked breathlessly, astounded by her luck. Absols were hard to find, but then again, she was still in the mountain region where they were said to live.

The Absol regarded her with a critical look, then turned to face Swampert. He gave a low growl, then charged forward. "Swampert, dodge and use Water Gun," Lily ordered. Swampert moved swiftly out of the way, opening his mouth and spurting a jet of water out at Absol.

Absol jumped neatly aside, missing the attack completely, and used Ice Beam. It caught Swampert square on the chest before Lily could give another command. "Swampert, use Hammer Arm," she called as Swampert stood up, shaking himself as if to shake off water.

Swampert flew forward and punched the Absol in the side, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Absol let out a small whimper before pulling itself back up, standing tall and proud.

"Bullseye," Lily whispered. "Dark-Types are weak against Fighting-Type moves. Let's go, Swampert, Hammer Arm again!"

The large blue Pokemon once more dashed forward to land a hit on Absol, but it quickly dodged and tackled Swampert from behind. Swampert landed with a thud, but on his feet, a little distance away. Both Pokemon were breathing heavily.

"Use Earthquake, then follow through with Hammer Arm!" Lily commanded, closing her hand around an empty Pokeball.

Swampert let out a low growl before adjusting his stance. A moment later, Lily could feel the ground shaking as the Absol tried to find a grip on the shifting ground. Swampert took advantage of the distraction and went in to land another solid hit on the Absol's chest.

"Good work!" Lily said, throwing the Pokeball. It hit Absol and landed on the ground as a red beam of light surrounded the fallen Pokemon and brought it into the Pokeball. It shivered on the ground, the button on the front of the ball blinking the same bright red as the beam.

"Come on…come on," Lily silently pleaded. Her team of Pokemon stood watching as the Pokeball suddenly stopped moving. Lily caught her breath; then a long beep sounded.

The Pokemon behind Lily cheered as she happily picked up the Pokeball, reveling in her moment. She hadn't caught a Pokemon since Shinx quite a few months ago. "Welcome to the team, Absol," Lily said as she released her newly caught Pokemon.

The Absol stood in front of Lily, looking up at her with huge red, innocent eyes. "Do you want something to eat?" Lily asked, glancing over at the abandoned food bowls of her Pokemon. "Vulpix, are you done eating?" Vulpix gave a bark and backed away from the food bowl. "Thanks Vulpix!"

Absol walked forward and sniffed the bowl tentatively, then took a small bite of the food. Having found it satisfactory, he continued to eat. Lily smiled, proud of catching Absol. She fondly remembered how she had gotten her other Pokemon. Swampert, Mudkip then, had been her starter; Shelgon, Bagon at the time, had been her next when she had found him injured in the forest near Jubilife. She had caught Vulpix, then Shinx some time later. Now, she had gotten Eevee's egg as a gift and had caught Absol.

Lily glanced at the silver ring she wore on her right hand; it had been her mother's, given to her a month before she had died. _Are you proud of me, mother, father?_ she wondered sadly. She watched as Suzaku sniffed curiously at Absol, receiving a flick over the ears by Absol's tail in return. Somehow, she thought her parents would be.

* * *

**I finally got it done! You guys don't know how long I've been procrastinating doing this, rewatching my favorite episodes of Code Geass instead. Then again, I have been busy besides that; it is vacation after all! :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**I hadn't realized until Shadow told me, but I seem to have a tendency to pick fruits as one of the words we have to use. Hmm…Oh well; there's one again this week too. XD**

_Plastic carton _

_Lightning _

_Watermelon _

_Speaker_

_Carrot _

_Candle_

**I'll warn you ahead of time; this chapter will probably be very random since I just have to waste time until the end of the chapter. So basically, I have no idea what I'm going to write. Here goes nothing! ^.^**

* * *

"Okay guys; with Absol, we now have six members on our team, the usual number of an official team!" Lily declared to the many cheers of her Pokèmon.

Absol gave a short growl of appreciation.

"There's something else that needs to be taken care of, though," Lily continued. "The Conference will most definitely have double battles, something we don't have much practice with. So we need to find out who would work well with each other and who wouldn't."

Vulpix stared pointedly at Shelgon, her eyes narrowed. Lily sighed as she got her implications; Shelgon wasn't an easy Pokèmon to get along with for anyone present. Suzaku just twitched his tail happily, glancing around his fellow teammates.

"Okay," Lily repeated, clapping her hands together in a business-like manner. "I'll pick the first two pairs, then they'll have a match with each other. Sound good?"

Shelgon grunted, but Lily couldn't tell if it was from agreement or boredom; maybe it was from both. She decided she'd leave him out of the first two pairs, just to be safe, and looked over her remaining Pokèmon. She still had yet to see what Absol could do, so maybe she should wait to pair him up with another Pokèmon.

Leaving Vulpix, Suzaku, Shinx, and Swampert. Fire and Lightning-Types were good against Water-Types; if their attacks rebounded on their partner, it would be bad. Then again, since Vulpix and Shinx would both have an advantage over Swampert, would that be fair to put them on the same team against him? How could she evaluate the effectiveness of the pairs in such a condition? Should she use Shelgon and Absol after all?

After another few minutes of deliberating, Lily finally made up her mind. "Vulpix and Shinx will battle against Suzaku and Shelgon," she announced confidently. Suzaku got along so well with everyone; if anyone could be partner to Shelgon, it would be him, Lily told herself.

Vulpix cast Lily a half-disbelieving look, but dutifully went to stand on the other side of the clearing with Shinx. Shelgon lumbered over to stand in front of Lily with Suzaku close behind. When everyone was in place, Lily went to stand to the side to better watch the battle.

As Lily watched them, deciding on how to start the battle, she could almost see the lightning sparking off of Shinx's fur as he tensed himself. Vulpix breathed out a small flame, no larger than that of a candle's. Suzaku watched on with innocent, curious eyes while his partner Shelgon did nothing.

"Let's start, then!" Lily announced.

---

An hour later, it was well into night. Lily had already called back most of her Pokèmon after they had finished, though she couldn't say it had been very eventful nearer to the end. During the third match he was in, Shelgon had stopped battling altogether, stubbornly sitting down and refusing to budge.

Only Vulpix and Suzaku remained out with Lily now. "Okay Vulpix, you take watch for tonight," Lily instructed tiredly. "Suzaku, I want your opinion on how the matches turned out."

Vulpix looked affronted that Lily hadn't consulted her on this matter, and she turned away haughtily.

"I can't ask you since you were mostly in the battles," Lily quickly explained. "Suzaku was on the sidelines more than anyone else, so he saw the effects a little better."

With an appraising glance, Vulpix looked back at Lily. Then, giving in, she licked Lily's hand and received a ruffling of her ears in return. Trotting happily away, the carrot-colored Pokèmon took up her post on the edge of camp while Lily seated herself in front of the fire.

Pulling out a plastic carton from her jacket pocket, she shook a handful of watermelon-flavored cereal into her hand. Popping them into her mouth, Lily put the carton away and reviewed her choices.

Unsurprisingly, Swampert did badly partnered with Vulpix and Shinx, whose moves were very effective against Water-Types even when they weren't attacking him directly. He had done well with Shelgon, however, as well as with Suzaku, who Lily could pair with almost any of her team. Absol had yet to be teamed with anyone, so he was still out.

Shelgon had, unfortunately, worked poorly with Suzaku. In fact, the only one he _had _worked well with was Swampert. Together, they had been a strong team and easily defeated the Shinx/Suzaku pairing. The other pairing that had caught Lily's attention was Vulpix and Suzaku. Using strong combinations, they had managed to beat Shinx and Shelgon.

Lily sighed, shifting to lay on her back in the grass. "What do you think, Suzaku?" she asked, fancying that he would surprise her and show that he was a fluent speaker of English and could answer her question.

She was sadly disappointed.

Suzaku curled up into a small furry ball by Lily's side, purring. She scratched his ears absently, feeling her eyes begin to close. Just as sleep was about to overtake her, she heard a shocked yelp and the crackling of flames behind her.

* * *

**Okay, okay, I know, super short chapter. But it was a filler anyways and I'm sure you guys didn't want to go on hearing Lily debate about her double options. From here it'll start to get interesting~ :P**


	6. Chapter 6

**First of all, I want to apologize for my last chapter. It was extremely short, not well-written, and I made a lot of mistakes when I was talking about the Types and how they would match up in pairings. Please ignore it. .**

**Now for the words:**

_I'm not obsessed_

_Tousled brown hair _

_Bangs_

_Silver foil _

_Wipeout _

_Strawberry_

**Sorry again, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. From here on, Shadow (Before the Storm) and I will kinda mesh our fics into one big…meshed…fic thingy. I'm tired, okay? :P**

* * *

Lily jumped up, panicked as she saw Vulpix standing on the edge of camp, crouched defensively in front of a girl with dark tousled brown hair, her bangs hanging over her eyes. A large Pokèmon that Lily took a second to recognize as a Mightyena stood protectively at her side, the fur along his spine bristling angrily.

"What is this? Who's there?" the girl asked, startled.

"That's what I should be asking!" Lily retorted reflexively, equally surprised. What was this girl doing here in her camp?

Before either of them could speak again, the Mightyena had launched himself at Vulpix, emitting a loud growl. Vulpix charged at the oncoming Mightyena and they went down, wrestling each other on the ground.

"Stop it, Vulpix!" Lily cried.

"Hold on, bud," the dark haired girl said soothingly to her Pokèmon. Then, turning to Lily, she said more aggressively, "What's the big idea, huh?"

"You're the one who came randomly charging into my camp," Lily said indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest the way she always did when she wasn't about to back down on something.

"Well, what kind of place is this for a camp, anyway? You're right in the way of the path," the girl replied, pointing in a vague, backward direction.

"Uuhh...What are you talking about? The path is over there," Lily corrected, pointing in the opposite direction she just had. Now that she could get a good look at her, Lily realized that she was nearer the same age as her brother than herself. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, a scowl on her face as the Mightyena at her side snarled quietly.

"That's what I meant," the teenager replied casually, her Mightyena growling at her feet in affirmation.

"...Yeah," Lily said, making sure her sarcasm was clear. "Hey, what are you doing here anyways?"

"I'm...er, camping," the girl answered, waving to her backpack.

"Oh...okay then," Lily replied, suddenly uncomfortable now that she had calmed down a bit. "Do you...need a place to stay for the night? The clearing's big enough."

"Er, well, I was actually planning on trying to get a little farther from Hearthome..." the teenager replied, absently whacking at a smoldering sleeve where Lily assumed Vulpix's Flamethrower had hit.

"Oh, do you want some water for that?" she asked. "I'm sorry, sometimes Vulpix can get a little surprised and just uses Flamethrower like that." Vulpix growled, having returned to her post near the edge of the camp but still within hearing distance.

"Thanks, uh..." the girl, seeming vaguely surprised, looked like she was trying to say something, but didn't know quite how to say it.

"No problem," Lily replied, realizing what was wrong: they still didn't have each other's names. "Oh, by the way, I'm Lily. Nice to meet you!"

The girl held out her hand solemnly. "I'm Selena, and this is Mightyena." Here she nodded towards her Mightyena. "Is that your main Pokemon?" She pointed at Vulpix, who looked torn between staying where she was and venturing closer to get a better look at this newcomer.

Lily stared at the proffered hand, not quite sure what to do with it; where she had been raised, no one had ever been so formal as to shake hands. "Nice to meet you too, Mightyena; sorry I forgot to greet you just now," Lily apologized. "I guess you could say Vulpix is my main Pokemon; her and Suzaku."

Selena withdrew her hand slowly, a questioning look on her face. "Suzaku?"

"My Eevee," Lily explained. "He was a gift from my brother when I left home from Jubilife. Of course, he was only an egg then." Suddenly remembering Selena's burned shirt, she quickly ducked into her tent to get a water bottle, waving at Selena to make herself at home.

Selena dropped her pack to ground and sat by the campfire. "Eevees are cute, especially Umbreon," she commented after a moment when Lily had come back out. "It's my favorite."

"Really? Mine too! Dark Types are so awesome," Lily gushed, feeling like a fangirl. Oh well; at least I'm not obsessed over something like strawberries and silver foil, she thought to herself, then wished she could smack herself for thinking something so weird.

Selena rested her hand on Mightyena's head, ruffling his ears lightly. "Yeah, they are. What's the rest of your team?"

Lily gave her a mischievous smile, tilting her head slightly to the side. "You'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?" Taking a seat on the opposite side of the fire as Selena, she crossed her legs and started getting a closer look at the older girl. She seemed normal, but there was something about her that seemed so anxious.

Selena smirked at her comment. "Are you trying to say you can beat me?" she asked. "How old are you anyways?"

"Well, I might be saying that," Lily retorted. "And I'm fourteen, for your information. What about you? Should I start calling you grandma?" She stuck out her tongue playfully.

Selena put on an affronted expression, declaring, "I'm only _seventeen, _actually." She narrowed her eyes, but Lily couldn't figure out if it was because she really was insulted or if she was just kidding.

"Uh-huh. Riiight," Lily teased, tossing the water bottle to Selena. As she did this, she noticed Mightyena, who had been skulking about, sniff warily at Vulpix. Vulpix jumped back, startled and fur bristling, then after a short pause, curiously came forward too. _It looks like they're getting along well._

Selena watched them as well, dabbing water over her sleeve from the water bottle. "It looks like our Pokèmon are friends already." She said this in a bemused manner, as if her Pokèmon had never before made a friend. Then again, for all she knew, maybe he hadn't.

"Pokèmon always seem to have a way of connecting easily…I wonder why that is," Lily mused.

Selena gave a small smile. "They make friends easier than most people. Mightyena doesn't normally…odd."

"So where are you headed?" Lily asked, changing the subject.

"Where are _you_ going?" Selena countered, rather quickly if you asked Lily.

"Hmm? Me? I'm going to go sign up for the Golden Star Conference in Hearthome," Lily answered.

"Really?" Selena gasped before promptly starting to dig around in her backpack. A moment later she had a piece of crumpled paper in her hand and was trying to smooth it out as much as possible. "Look! Isn't this it?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Lily exclaimed excitedly, recognizing the flier for the Conference instantly. "You're participating in it, too, then? That must be why you're so close to Hearthome!"

Selena bit her lip, a small movement, but Lily noticed it. It was a habit her brother had when he was nervous or guilty. But all Selena said was "Yep. I'm going to win it." Then, with a smug smile, she went on. "I'm going to be the one to win the trip to Full Moon Island."

Lily grinned competitively. "I guess I'll see you there then. I don't think we'll be in the same age group, though…"

"I doubt it," Selena replied, shaking her head. "You'll be in with all the little kiddies and I'll be with the adults." She grinned.

"Adults are too controlling; they think they can make you do whatever they want you to without your consent," Lily said solemnly, abruptly thinking of her parents. Tracing her finger through a small patch of dirt absently, she sighed. "Though, maybe sometimes they're right about some things."

Selena was staring into the fire with a fierce gaze. "Adults need to worry about themselves. They can't control everything around them." With an sudden crunch, Selena crushed the empty water bottle Lily had given her, though she didn't seem to have noticed. "They're wrong. They can't control _anything_."

"I think they're trying to help; they just make it worse most of the time," Lily replied thoughtfully. "But sometimes…sometimes they're just trying to protect you." She dropped her gaze, hoping the other girl wouldn't see the play of emotions across her face.

She was remembering the day her parents had died…They had gotten into a huge argument about letting Lily go traveling. Storming out of the house, Lily had come back a few hours later to find the police surrounding her house. Her parents had been murdered. They were working on the scene of the crime, but so far, it didn't look like there were any clues: nothing had been stolen, no weapons had been left; nothing. Even now, they still didn't know what had happened. After that, she and her brother had moved to Jubilife, but Lily had never stopped regretting that day. Now she would never be able to tell her parents how sorry she was.

"Not always," Selena responded harshly, bringing Lily back to reality.

Lily just shrugged; what she was trying to say was something that came from experience. It wasn't something you'd understand just by words alone. "That's what I believe. You'll see one day."

Selena glared at her, but didn't pursue the subject. "I'm going to sleep. I have a long way to travel tomorrow." Having said that, she turned to once more rifle though her backpack.

"Okay," Lily replied. "You're heading to Hearthome, right? Wanna go with me? Since we're heading in the same direction and all."

Selena looked away sharply. "I just came from there—why do you want to get there so early anyway? The contest isn't for the next month."

"Oh, so then you already signed up?" Lily asked, surprised. How long had the fliers been going around? She had thought they were just put up recently, but maybe she only thought that because she had only just seen it recently.

"You have to sign up?" Selena asked, surprise written all over her face.

"You...didn't know that? It said so on the flier," Lily replied.

"Well...how long will that take? We don't have to stay in Hearthome the whole time until the Conference, do we?" Selena asked nervously.

"Well, no, I suppose not," Lily agreed. "I hadn't really planned on going anywhere else. I have to find a place to train, but I guess a Pokèmon Center will always do."

"I'll come with you to sign up...but I won't stay in the city," Selena decided, standing up.

Lily, surprised, looked up at her. "Why not?"

Selena looked away, obviously not wanting to meet Lily's eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Lily sort of understood what she meant; everyone had things they didn't want to talk about, including her. "Then don't! I'm sorry, I got a little too nosy."

Selena shook her head, smiling slightly. "No, it's alright. I'll still go to the city, and then maybe come back into the woods to train or something."

Lily perked up, standing up so quickly that she was surprised she didn't wipeout. "Could I join you? It's always easier to train when you have a partner."

"R-really? You want to train with me?" Selena asked, again looking surprised.

"Yeah! it would be a lot of fun!" Lily replied, nodding vigorously.

"Will I get to see your Pokèmon?" Selena asked, still looking hesitant.

"Hmm...I don't know about _that,_" Lily teased, smiling.

Selena grinned. "Well, I guess we have a deal then. Tomorrow we leave for Hearthome!"

Lily smiled eagerly. "Yeah! Let's work hard this next month!"

* * *

**I sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I had no idea it would take me this long to get up this chapter, and even when I did finally get to it, it's not very good. D8**

**Sorry to Shadow, too, for having to make you wait so dang long. :(**

**Also, I don't think I'll be updating this fic very much; I'm mostly going to work on Return and Darkness of Dawn with Shadow, plus a few oneshots on the side. ;)**

**Until next time~**


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